Ryuen vs. Albert

"Shit."

"So what if you're smart?"

"Who do you think you are, looking down on us?"

"I was the top dog in my middle school class too. I didn't want to bother with you, but now you're acting all high and mighty?"

"If you want to be the boss, you'll have to get past my fists first."

Ishizaki, who'd been called a loser, flew into a rage and charged toward the podium in three quick strides.

A few girls screamed, but almost everyone else barely reacted. They silently moved to the edges of the classroom to watch the show.

Who knew how the school had assigned the students?

There seemed to be an unusually large number of delinquents in this class. They must have been so used to fights that they barely gave them a second thought.

Ryuen watched Ishizaki charge at him with a punch.

He dodged to the side, then drove a knee into Ishizaki's stomach before he could react.

The powerful blow left Ishizaki crumpled on the floor, clutching his stomach and retching as he curled up like a shrimp.

Suddenly, Ryuen sensed a shadow rushing at him from the side.

He was just about to grab Ishizaki by the hair, but instinct made him retreat two steps.

A hulking Black man stood before him, his muscles bulging beneath his clothes and dark sunglasses covering his eyes.

He lowered his fist and turned to face Ryuen.

In a deep voice, he said:

"You are a bad boy!"

"You're next? I've had my eye on you. Your name's Yamada Albert, right? Who else wants to join in? Come on, all of you losers, let me show you the difference in strength."

Ryuen gave a cold laugh.

Without a hint of fear, he charged at Albert.

But—

Thud!

Ryuen's fist slammed into Albert's chest, as if he'd punched an iron plate.

The gap in their strength was enormous.

That single blow

was enough to make Ryuen understand the difference.

Even if Albert stood perfectly still, Ryuen would have a hard time hurting him.

"So hard..."

"..."

Albert's expression didn't change after taking the blow. His dark hands rested gently on Ryuen's shoulders, and his deep voice softened as he said:

"Classmate, violence... not good. Let's get along from now on, okay?"

"Idiot."

Ryuen gave a cold laugh.

But Albert's hands were like a pair of iron clamps, holding him in place.

Without hesitation, Ryuen drove his knee forward again.

But—

The next second,

Ryuen felt a sharp pain in his cheek. His vision went black, his head swam, and when he opened his eyes again, he was lying on the floor.

"Phew..."

Ryuen shook his head.

His cold, snake-like eyes were fixed on Albert as he walked toward Ishizaki.

The difference between them was enormous.

Without another thought, Ryuen got up and rushed forward, then kicked Albert in the back.

Albert stumbled. As soon as he turned around, Ryuen punched him in the cheek.

"Bad boy!"

A flicker of anger crossed Albert's dark face.

Thud.

One punch.

A fist as big as a sandbag slammed into Ryuen's stomach. It felt like he'd been hit by a car, and he crumpled to the floor, curled up.

Albert's face flickered with sympathy.

"Do you understand the difference now? If you attack me again, I won't go easy on you."

"Cough, cough... Heh. Albert, you really are strong!"

Ryuen clutched his stomach and coughed softly, his snake-like eyes glancing sideways at the hulking man before him.

A chilling smile played across his face.

"But so what?"

"Strength isn't just about violence. It's also about mental toughness."

"You might win today, but what about later?"

"When you're in your dorm, when you're taking a dump, I'll keep an eye on you from every direction. In the end, I'll be the one who wins."

"..."

No one could see Albert's expression behind his sunglasses.

But Ishizaki, who'd recovered by now, looked at Ryuen and thought of a man like a venomous snake. He got up, holding his stomach, and asked cautiously:

"What's your name?"

"Ryuen."

Ryuen's lips curled slightly.

"I knew it..."

Ishizaki's eyes widened. "You're Ryuen Kakeru?"

"What? He's Ryuen?"

"I think so. That's what his name tag says too."

"Oh my god, why did they put us in the same class as him? This is the worst."

"What? So many of you know him. Is he famous?"

The boys below immediately panicked.

Several of them looked at Ryuen on the floor, their eyes filled with wariness.

After a few people explained,

Kaneda and the others finally learned the truth.

Quite a few of them had gone to middle school in the same district as Ryuen. He'd ruled over the entire district, so plenty of people knew him.

He wasn't especially big or strong, but Ryuen always managed to come out on top!

With his snake-like tenacity, Ryuen eventually brought even those stronger than him to heel through violence.

Classroom tough guys like Ishizaki were no more than underlings of Ryuen's underlings.

After hearing about Ryuen's past,

quite a few people no longer seemed as resistant to him as they had at first.

Following someone this strong might be to their advantage.

"Anyone can talk."

Albert didn't quite believe him, but he didn't like violence, so he said in a low voice:

"You're free to try to be the boss, but don't bully your classmates again. Otherwise, next time I really won't go easy on you."

With that,

Albert turned and walked toward Ishizaki, wanting to check on his injuries.

That was right.

Up until now,

Albert hadn't even used his full strength. He'd only been trying to stop Ryuen.

Naturally, he didn't believe Ryuen's threats.

Anyone could make a threat. Whether they could follow through was another matter.

But—

The next second,

Ryuen's eyes narrowed, and he swept his leg out, striking Albert's ankle.

"Gah..."

Attacked at a weak spot,

Albert's face finally showed a flicker of pain. Instinctively, he crouched to check his injury.

Ryuen wasn't about to waste the opportunity. His eyes turned cold as he drove his knee into Albert's temple from the side, knocking him to the ground.

Then,

Ryuen flipped over and pinned Albert beneath him.

Elbows and fists rained down on the Black man like a torrential storm. The guy was even tougher than Ryuen had imagined.

Unfortunately,

Ryuen was in poor shape.

Aside from the blows to Albert's ankle and temple, the rest of his attacks had barely affected him.

"FUCK!"

Albert sprang to his feet.

His dark hands clamped around Ryuen's waist like iron pincers and tossed him away.

Thump.

Ryuen flew backward and crashed through two desks. The moment he got up, a sharp pain stabbed through his stomach. His eyes widened, and his body curled up like a shrimp.

"Bad boy."

Albert lowered his fist.

Clearly,

this time he'd been serious.

With no strength left to support him, Ryuen collapsed to the ground. He couldn't even manage to hold himself up now. It would probably take him a long time to recover.

"That last hit was your warning. If you attack me again, don't blame me for being rough."

After leaving those words behind,

Albert turned to walk toward Ishizaki, but after just two steps, he instinctively glanced back.

He was worried Ryuen might try to sneak up on him again.

At the back of the classroom,

Prince Ganlongdao shook his head to himself.

That was human nature.

People instinctively became afraid when they felt pain. Very few could overcome that fear.

Albert was clearly starting to feel afraid, worried that Ryuen might ambush him.

And besides,

he was far too gentle by nature.

If someone like Ryuen stuck to him like a burr, it was only a matter of time before he gave in.

Still,

Albert was a capable enforcer.

"Watch your back!"

Just then, Ishizaki hurriedly called out a warning.

Albert instinctively turned around. Ryuen stood where he was, clutching his stomach and swaying, his gaze still cold.

Clearly,

Ryuen wasn't in any shape to fight back so soon.

Even so, Ryuen walked toward Albert one step at a time, then met his gaze and gave a cold laugh.

"Heh-heh. Albert, you're scared. If you don't dare to fight, you can let me rest for a bit. Three minutes, and then we'll start the next round."

"..."

Cold sweat beaded on Albert's forehead. His hand clenched and unclenched.

He wanted to strike.

But he was also worried he might kill Ryuen in his current state.

Only now

did Albert finally understand

what made this man so terrifying.

Ryuen really would keep hounding him without end, until he gave in. That was how Ryuen fought.

Clack!

Right then,

a sound rang out as something hit the floor.

In the silent classroom, the sound was especially jarring.

Ryuen and the others instinctively looked toward it. A book bearing Prince Ganlongdao's name had fallen from the seat by the window in the back row.

A man with bright, starry eyes and a face like polished jade came into view.

Quite a few girls' eyes lit up.

They'd thought this class was full of nothing but bookworms and delinquents. They hadn't expected to find such a handsome guy!

What a lucky find!

As everyone watched, Prince Ganlongdao slowly opened his eyes.